Agriculture jobs have risen the most in southern Italy this year, farmers association Coldiretti announced on Tuesday.
A record 11% increase was seen in contracted workers in 2015 – a percentage that rises to 31% if only female employment in the sector is considered. The analysis was made on the basis of national statistics institute ISTAT data on the second quarter of the year, presented during the Italian Agriculture Day at Expo Milano 2015 with the participation of hundreds of Sicilian farmers. ”Overall,” Coldiretti said, ”contracted workers in Italian fields rose by 5% on the same period last year, five times the Italian average. Driving the growth was the result achieved in the southern regions, which rose by 11%, as well as an increase in female workers in the fields – with a 10% increase in the hiring of women in agriculture over the 12-month period, compared with a 3% growth in male workers. Almost every one in three farms (28.9%) is also run by a woman, with a significant impact on sector renewal.”